


Adopting Sweets

by aokagaisball



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Doctor Midorima, M/M, Model Kise, alternative universe, baker kagami, business owner akashi, dad aomine, toddler atsushi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 22:43:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5683771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aokagaisball/pseuds/aokagaisball
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aomine is adoptive father to Atsushi who just happens to run off on his own one afternoon. Aomine thankfully finds him in a nearby bakery, talking to an extremely handsome redhead. How will this baker interrupt, or add, to Aomine and Atsushi's lives?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Yes, another long fic here! I'm very excited about it and I hope you enjoy it!! The first chapter was a drabble from my blog so its a bit shorter, but the future chapters will hopefully make up for that.

Aomine grinned down at the boy next to him, his wild purple hair flying everywhere as the warm breeze fluttered past them. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as the boy shoved a chubby hand over his face, his small pout obvious as he tried to push the long locks away. Aomine waited another minute before he heard the high pitched whine, his sleeve being tugged on.

  
“Papa my hair is annoying. I want to crush it.”

  
The tall, dark skinned man couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle, his hands going under his son’s arms as he lifted him to stand on a bench, bringing the boy slightly closer to his height. Reaching to his left wrist, he slid a bright blue hairband off.

  
“Turn around Atsushi, and I’ll pull it back. Do you want a ponytail?”

  
The toddler turned and grabbed onto the back of the bench to steady himself, his long legs making him wobbly.

  
“Mmmm. Papa I’m hungry. I want sweets.”

  
As he ran his fingers through his son’s long locks, bunching them into his hand as gently as he could, he rolled his eyes, the demand something he heard at least fifty times a day from the boy.

  
“We haven’t had dinner yet, Atsushi. Sweets are for after dinner remember since you had one earlier?”

  
He imagined his son’s bottom lip jutting out with defiance, “But I want sweets now, papa.”

  
Wrapping the hairband around the purple hair twice, Aomine turned his son and poked his tummy playfully, knowing it would make the little boy giggle.

  
“Be patient my little bear cub.”

  
With yet another pout, Atsushi grabbed his father’s hand and jumped off the bench, following him into the crowd, his smaller hand wrapped tight in Aomine’s larger one. Just as they turned a corner, the young boy read a sign on a window, the word catching his eyes immediately. Of course it would too; it was his favorite word. The sign was bright red with swirly font, and it simply spelt out “sweets.”

* * *

 

“Atsushi! Atsushi!!”

  
Aomine ran back around a corner they had come from, his blue eyes darting all over the crowd, hoping to find a purple ponytail somewhere. Not finding it, his panic grew even more as he jumped up onto a bench, similar to the one they had been at before.

  
“ATSUSHI!!”

  
Tons of people turned to stare at him, but he didn’t care. He wanted to find his son, the fear of losing him burning his chest, making it difficult to breathe. Just as he was going to call the police, his eyes locked on a red sign. A sign that would easily get anyone’s attention, especially a little boy addicted to sweets. Rushing through the crowd, Aomine approached what looked like a bakery, the large windows allowing him to peer inside the shop easily. When he spotted his son smiling gleefully as he bit into a cookie, he nearly cried from relief. Grabbing the door handle, he pulled it open, the bell ringing out to announce his arrival.

“Atsushi!”

  
The purple haired boy turned at his father’s voice, chocolate on his lips as he smiled, “Papa I found sweets! Papa, what’s wrong?”

  
Aomine crushed the boy to his chest, his body already down on his knees as he held his son. His heart rate was starting to return to normal, his nerves calming. Pulling back he looked his boy over, noticing the worst thing that had happened was the chocolate stains now on his son’s shirt. He felt anger welling up inside of him, his mind telling him not to yell at the boy. Although as he spoke, he couldn’t help the stern tone that came out.

  
“Atsushi, what were you doing running off like that without telling papa? You scared me.”

  
As he watched big purple eyes fill with tears, Aomine sat back on his heels and sighed, his tone much softer now as he pushed some stray locks out of the boy’s face.

  
“I’m sorry papa got upset, but you have to tell me where you’re going first ok, little cub?”

  
Aomine watched as his son’s bottom lip quivered as the boy nodded. He didn’t have to ask for a hug, this time Atsushi pushing into his chest, rubbing his face all over his shirt. Aomine chuckled as he realized he was going to have matching chocolate stains with his son.

  
“Oh, are you his father?”

  
Aomine looked up into the brightest red eyes he had ever seen, and he was even friends with Akashi. His eyes moved over the face leaning over the counter, taking in the matching hair and forked eyebrows, the happy grin, and the golden tan skin. As he put all the pieces together, taking in the man entirely, Aomine had to refrain himself from whistling with appreciation. Whoever this man was, he was downright gorgeous, even more so as his smile grew. Standing, Aomine smiled back at the man as he put his hand on top of his son’s head, Atsushi happily munching on his cookie again with one hand, his other gripping his father’s pant leg.

  
“Yes, I am. I’m sorry about him coming in here alone.”

  
The redhead leaned back and smiled softly down at Atsushi, then back to Aomine, “Its ok. I figured he had wandered off and it was best to keep him here in one spot. I was sure someone would come for him.”

  
“Thank you. I appreciate it so much.”

  
Another heart melting smile from the redhead, “No problem. He seemed to be happy with a cookie sample, I hope its ok I gave him one.”

  
Letting out a deep sigh, Aomine looked down at his son who stopped chewing on the treat in his hand, his innocent eyes peering up at him. Defeated with that look, Aomine ruffled his hair with a grin.

  
“Yeah it’s fine. Thanks again…”

  
“Kagami. Kagami Taiga, the shop owner. Nice to meet you.”

  
Aomine put his hand forward to shake Kagami’s, making sure to lock eyes with the handsome baker, “I’m Aomine Daiki. And this is Atsushi, my son.”

  
Kagami nodded once and looked over the counter at the little boy, who now had no treats and was trying to lick the remaining chocolate off his fingers. Laughing softly, Kagami looked at Aomine.

  
“I can give you both a little treat box if you’d like to take home.”

  
Aomine didn’t have to look down to know his son was looking at Kagami as if the redhead was his absolute hero. Letting out another deep sigh, Aomine shook his head playfully.

  
“You’re not helping my cause here Kagami.”

  
The baker smirked, his head cocking to the side, “What cause would that be, Aomine?”

  
Enjoying that the baker was going along with his teasing, Aomine smirked, “The cause of feeding my son something more than sugar.”

  
Kagami feinted hurt as he looked down at Atsushi, “But sugar is the best kind of food, right Atsushi?”

  
“Right!”

  
The little boy jumped with agreement, the movement a rarity for the boy who in general disliked doing anything extra. Aomine pretended to glare at Kagami, the baker just sending a cheeky grin back at him. As his heart raced at the look, it took a few hard tugs on his pants for his son to get his attention.

  
“Papa can we?!”

  
“Do you think you deserve more sweets after running off, Atsushi.”

  
The little boy thought for a moment, “No, but can we anyways?”

  
Aomine tried to hold back his laughter, but as he heard Kagami laugh he couldn’t help but join in, “Fine. We can take some home, but they are for AFTER dinner, understand?”

  
Atsushi nodded happily, his sticky hands already pressed to the glass that separated him from the assortment of sweets laid out. Aomine watched as Kagami grabbed a box and bent down behind the glass.

  
“Which ones would you like, Atsushi?”

  
Aomine watched as his son thought extremely hard. Sweets were something he never took lightly. As he pointed at each treat, Kagami carefully placed them into the box, taking the little boy’s choices very seriously. As Aomine watched the interaction, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of hope well up in his chest.

  
“Ok, I think that’s plenty of sweets, little cub.”

  
Atsushi nodded at his father and made his way over to the counter, his arms barely reaching over, his fingers grasping for the box excitedly. Aomine stood behind him and nodded, Kagami then handing the boy the bright red box.

  
“Atsushi, don’t you dare open that box.”

  
“Yes yes. I know papa.”

  
Shaking his head with amusement, Aomine pulled his wallet out and looked at Kagami, “How much for the box?”

  
Kagami smiled and shook his head, “Don’t worry about it. You’ve had a rough time, consider it a peaceful gift to calm you.”

  
Wanting to argue about paying, but realizing his son was getting antsy behind him, the little boy most likely not going to wait to open the box, Aomine put his wallet away.

  
“Thank you again. Next time we pay for it though.”

  
Aomine watched as Kagami leaned forward onto the counter, a sexy smile on his face, “I look forward to it.”

  
Licking his lips, Aomine returned the look, his lower stomach tightening at the thought of seeing the sexy baker again.

  
“Papa let’s go eat dinner so we can eat the sweets!”

  
Looking at his son with amusement, Aomine walked to him and patted his head, “What do you say to Kagami?”

  
Raising his sticky hand, Atsushi waved goodbye to the baker, “Thank you Kagachin.”

  
“You’re welcome Atsushi.”

  
With one last look, Aomine waved goodbye as well and steered his son out of the bakery, making sure to take his hand in his tightly. As they walked home, he heard Atsushi pipe up.

  
“Papa, we are gonna go back and see Kagachin right?”

  
Reaching down, Aomine lifted his son onto his hip, holding him up with one hand and carrying the red box of sweets in his other.

  
“Of course we are little cub. You will need more sweets right?”

  
Atsushi nodded as he wrapped his arms around his father’s neck, his face resting on his shoulder. Aomine thought of the handsome baker and how soon they could go back to visit him, not only for his son’s sake, but for his as well.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into the daily routine of Aomine and Atsushi.

Aomine stood over his son’s sleeping form for a few moments, simply enjoying the sight of the young boy deep in sleep, his thumb stuck deep into his mouth. He chuckled softly. His son needed to be chewing or sucking on something, his need for food and sweets unmatched by grown adults let alone children. Kneeling down next to the small bed, Aomine brushed his hands over his son’s hair, making sure not to catch his fingers in the knots in the long locks. He smiled more as he watched Atsushi’s brow furrow, the boy curling further under his blanket, trying to desperately chase his sleep.

“Atsushi, its morning. Time to get up little bear cub.”

The little boy groaned in annoyance in his sleep and swatted at Aomine’s hand, a common occurrence when his sleep was disturbed. Aomine simply sighed and leaned forward, kissing the pale forehead before standing and pulling the light purple blinds open, the sun brightly streaming through. He grinned at his son as he turned, Atsushi having pulled his blanket over his head. He had never had an issue with Atsushi sleeping through the night. On the contrary, it was a task to get the bundle of laziness up. Aomine was up to the task though as he pulled the blanket away completely and scooped his son up, laughing as Atsushi lay limp in his arms, his eyes squeezed shut tight, the boy refusing to open them even if he was obviously awake now.

Walking towards the living room, Aomine headed straight for his sons chair, no booster seat in sight. His son had quickly outgrown the need for a high chair and had practically moved past a booster seat completely, instead preferring to seat in a “big boy” chair, just like his papa. Plopping the boy down in the seat, he made sure to push him into the table, so that when his head flopped forward he didn’t fall over onto the floor. Satisfied the boy was well balanced with his head on the table, Aomine walked to the kitchen and took out two bowls, pouring some fruit loops into each and grabbing the milk. Taking the amassed contents to the table, he set a full bowl of circular rainbows in front of his son, pouring the milk in, knowing the sound was really the only thing that would force Atsushi out of his stubborn “sleep.”

As if on cue, the boy’s messy bedhead rose up, his droopy eyes taking in the sight of the colorful bowl, his hand reaching out for a spoon. Aomine held up the silver object, forcing his son to actually make eye contact with him.

“Good morning little cub.”

In a small, drawl Atsushi spoke while he rubbed at his eyes with one hand, the other grabbing the air above him for the spoon, “Morning papa. Can I have my spoon now?”

Aomine leaned down and kissed his son’s wild hair, “What do we say, Atsushi?”

The little boy pouted but grumbled out the words anyways, “Please and thank you.”

Granting Atsushi his spoon, Aomine moved to his own seat across from the boy, digging into his own cereal. He grimaced at the sugar laden food, as he did every morning. He really, really needed to get his son on a better eating schedule, or take cooking classes. Probably both. He quickly ate, Atsushi eating almost as fast as him. Putting their bowls in the sink, Aomine grabbed his son and headed towards the bathroom, the herculean task of getting Atsushi ready for the day just starting.

First, he plopped the boy down in front of the sink, on his footstool. The boy may be tall for his age, but he still couldn’t see over the sink yet. Grabbing his toothbrush, Aomine handed it to his son and squirted a small amount of paste onto the bristles.

“Now brush properly Atsushi. We don’t want to have to go back to the dentist right?”

The boy shook his head vigorously. He hated the dentist, the mention of his last visit the only thing Aomine needed to do in order to get the boy to take care of his teeth. Considering how much sugar he consumed, he figured it wouldn’t harm his son to have a healthy fear of messing his teeth up if he neglected them.

As the boy brushed intently, Aomine grabbed a comb and set about getting the knots out of the long purple locks. He did this while his son was brushing his teeth, Atsushi too focused on getting each tooth clean to really register any slight pain. Even as gentle as Aomine tried to be, his son’s long hair was a rat’s nest every time he woke up. He had tried to get it cut multiple times, but Atsushi always hated it about his chin.

_“It tickles my ears papa. It’s annoying.”_

After about five minutes, and Atsushi long being done with his teeth, Aomine was finally able to run the comb from top to bottom through the locks without any snags.

“Atsushi, do you want your hair down today or up?”

“Both papa. Please,” the last word was quickly added on as the boy watched his papa in the mirror.

Aomine grinned, “Ok bear cub, both it is.”

Pulling back half of his son’s hair, Aomine secured it in a bright green hair tie this time, securing it tight so it wouldn’t fall out throughout the boy’s day.

“Done!”

After an inspection from his son, who deemed the hairdo to his liking, he hauled the boy up and headed back to his room, sitting him on his bed and helping him out of his pajamas. Folding the pants and shirt, he motioned towards the low drawers.

“Ok Atsushi, find what you want to wear to daycare today.”

Aomine didn’t really have a parenting technique, although he had read about a hundred books on different techniques before getting Atsushi. Even then, he had decided whatever was best for the current situation was what he went with. He observed his son’s needs and met them, or helped him meet them on his own, and the technique had proved best for them. It wasn’t complicated or neglectful. It was simple and easy, just like Atsushi and him.

“Papa, I wanna wear my bear shirt and these too.”

Looking at his son’s choices he couldn’t help but snort in amusement, holding his laughter back so as not to offend the little boy. His son had chosen his favorite blue bear shirt and what seemed to be his new favorite pair of bottoms, bright purple overalls that were still slightly too big on him. Aomine had found them at the store on sale, convinced that Atsushi would quickly grow into them. His son had adored them at first sight and had nearly worn them every day since. If not for daycare, and Aomine’s rule that he needed to wear clean clothes every day, he was sure Atsushi would indeed wear them nonstop.

“Ok bear cub, why don’t you put your shirt on while papa makes your bed real quick.”

Pulling the purple sheets then grey blanket up, Aomine smoothed down his son’s bed covers quickly. Man, if his mother was watching him right now she was rolling in her grave. Aomine had never made a bed in his life, at least before he got his son. He had read in all those books he needed to lead by example, so when he had finally found out he was going to get Atsushi, he had made it a point to make his bed every day and try to keep everything at least moderately tidied up in his apartment. Now it was second nature, the actions leading Atsushi to follow suit, just as the books had said.

“Papa, I’m stuck.”

Looking over at his son, Aomine bit his lip to keep from laughing again as he walked over to where Atushi was stuck in his shirt, his little arms through the sleeves, but the collar stuck on his hair. Helping the little boy, Aomine grinned and poked his belly when his shirt was finally down, the boy giggling at the action.

“Papa now my ‘alls.”

Holding the overalls out for his son, Aomine watched as Atsushi held onto his arms to steady himself as he lifted one leg to step into the appropriate pant hole.

“Overalls, Atsushi. That’s what these are.”

The little boy had his tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth as he got one leg in and lifted his other, grinning wide up at Aomine when he had both feet correctly in his pants. Aomine simply smiled back and hooked the straps over his son’s shoulders, grabbing socks as Atsushi undid one strap. Sighing at the sight, Aomine quickly put his son in his lap and shimmed his feet into black cotton. Atsushi always undid one strap, no matter what Aomine said or did.

“Papa I’m ready for my snack!”

"Yes I know bear cub, good job on getting ready. Let’s go get a yogurt pack and you can watch cartoons while papa gets ready.”

After setting his son in front of the tv with two yogurt packs and a large bib tied around him, Aomine rushed through his own routine, it matching Atsushi’s but about five times faster. Pushing his tie up around his neck, he grabbed his jacket and wallet before heading back into the living room. Of course his son was covered in yogurt, the bib doing its job perfectly. Lifting his boy up, Aomine threw the bib in the hamper and wiped Atsushi’s sticky fingers and arms off, his face coming next. With a bit of struggle, both his son and he were ready for their day.

“Ok Atsushi, let’s head out.”

“Papa my lunch!”

“Oh right. I’ll grab it while you put your shoes on,” Aomine quickly grabbed the brightly colored lunch box, the item full of snacks and food for his son.

With everything ready, Aomine helped his son tie his shoes and both of them headed out the door. They walked as fast as Atsushi’s legs would allow towards the train, Aomine having to scoop the boy up to run the last block in order to catch their ride on time. Another fifteen minutes or so and they were stepping off, heading around the block and towards the daycare next to the park. It was the middle of summer, and tons of parents were headed towards the same place they were. Aomine held his son’s hand as he watched couple after couple walk past them, their children of various ages in tow. He frowned slightly as he looked down, seeing Atsushi’s eyes rapt on one of the mothers.

“Papa?”

Aomine swallowed hard, fearing whatever his son was going to ask, “Yes?”

“Why don’t we have a mommy at our house?”

Aomine gripped his son’s hand tight as he looked up at the sky, stopping their advance to the daycare just outside of the gates. Atsushi had been asking about mommies a lot lately, and Aomine wasn’t entirely sure what to say. He never lied to his son, but he didn’t want to burden him with things that could wait until he was older.

Kneeling down, Aomine rubbed the soft purple locks, looking into his son’s matching eyes, “Well bear cub, papa hasn’t found someone yet that could be a good mommy.”

Atsushi looked at the other children hugging their mother’s before looking back at Aomine, his lip slightly jutted out.

“But the other kids already have a mommy and a papa.”

“I know buddy, I know. You know that you came into papa’s life later, right? We talked about how you had a different mommy and papa before me, but they had an accident and I got to keep you. You remember?”

The little boy nodded, his eyes still expecting an explanation from Aomine about his lack of mommy now. Running his hand up through his own hair, Aomine closed his eyes and sighed before looking back at his son.

“Atsushi, a mommy and a papa are in love and that’s how they can be together. Sometimes people have two mommies or two papas, but no matter what they have, those two people have to love each other first. Papa just hasn’t fallen in love with anyone yet bear cub. I’m sorry you don’t have a mommy.”

The little boy studied him for a moment before reaching forward and giving him a big hug, muttering against his chest.

“It’s ok papa. I love you so don’t be sad ok?”

Aomine felt like crying as he wrapped his son in a tight hug, tight enough to make the boy protest. Instead he smiled and pulled back, kissing both his son’s cheeks before poking his tummy playfully.

“Thank you Atsushi, and papa loves you too. I won’t be sad, I promise.”

This seemed to please the young boy, his head giving a firm nod before turning to stride forward to the door, Aomine following close behind. As they checked in at the counter, Aomine was happy to hear a familiar voice next to them.

“Good morning, Aomine-kun, Atsushi-kun. How was your weekend?”

Aomine watched as his son launched himself at his old friend, Kuroko smiling as he lifted the boy up, prepared to hear all about his weekend as Atsushi chattered on. Kuroko being here was the only reason Aomine brought his son to this daycare, his old friend giving him much needed peace of mind to leave his son for the day. It may be slightly pricier, but if he knew Kuroko was with Atsushi all the time, then it was worth it.

He was handing the lunch box over to put into Atsushi’s cubbie when he heard his son mention the sweets from the nice baker they had met.

Aomine’s mind drifted back to the baker, his easy smile and handsome eyes. He hadn’t been able to get the gorgeous man out of his mind if he was being honest, and they past few days had been a struggle not to haul his son down to the bakery every day just so he could see Kagami.

“Aomine-kun, you met a baker?”

“Ahh yeah, he helped keep Atsushi in one place when he ran off without me. Nice guy, makes good treats,” Aomine shrugged, trying to play off how interested he was in Kagami.

He hoped his friend would believe him. The last thing he needed was his friends trying to dabble in his love life again, especially now that he had Atsushi. He didn’t want that and for some reason he desperately wanted to keep Kagami a secret from everyone else for now. When Kuroko simply nodded and turned back to his son, Aomine sighed with relief.

“Ok bear cub, papa has to go to work now. Give me a big bear hug ok?”

Atsushi looked at his father with big eyes, the purple orbs already filled with tears. This was a daily occurrence from Monday to Friday, every single time Aomine left his son at the daycare. Aomine knew Atsushi needed to be around other kids his age and to have a bit of independence from him, but every time his son cried for him to stay, he had to give himself a hard mental push to walk out the door, even knowing full well he would be back. He hated seeing Atsushi cry and the fact that he was crying simply because he didn’t want him to leave broke Aomine’s heart.

Scooping his son up from his friend, Aomine hugged him tight, holding back his own tears as Atsushi clung to his neck and sobbed loudly into his chest. He knew he was weak when it came to his son, but if he started to cry then he truly never would be able to leave. He convinced himself every morning he should be over this, but just like his son, it happened every single day from Monday to Friday.

“Shhhh its ok little cub, don’t cry. You know I’ll be back this afternoon, just like I always am ok. And you know at snack time you get to call papa right? Tetsu, I mean, Kuroko-san lets you call whenever you need to doesn’t he?”

The sobs got quieter, but his son’s body still shook with his tears. Aomine continued, his big palm rubbing soothing circles over his son’s back.

“That’s right and I promise I will be back in the afternoon. Does papa ever break his promises?”

A tiny shake of the head a small sniffle against his chest had Aomine smiling.

“That’s right. Papa never breaks promises to his bear cub. Did you want to do something after daycare today when I come pick you up?”

It took a few moments for Atsushi to speak, his voice soft and wavy as he spoke into Aomine’s chest.

“I wanna go see Kagamin and eat sweets with papa.”

Aomine grinned, “You know what little cub? Papa wants to do that too.”

Finally, Atsushi raised his head and looked up at Aomine, his eyes slightly red as his nose was runny, “R-really?”

Taking the tissue that Kuroko had passed him, Aomine cleaned his son’s face and grinned wide down at him, “Absolutely little cub. So you have to be good while papa is gone and when I come get you we will go see Kagami and eat yummy sweets, ok?”

The little boy nodded, his bottom lip still slightly quivering as Aomine reluctantly handed him back to his friend. Leaning in for one last kiss to his chubby cheek, Aomine whispered that he loved him and turned to head to the door, forcing himself to keep moving as he heard Atsushi burst into tears again. Pushing the door he was thankful for the slight breeze that hit him head on, his unshed tears drying in a few seconds as his feet took him back to the train station.

As he found a seat, his thoughts turned to his son and their constant sad goodbyes. Shaking his head, he tried to think of something more positive, a flash of red flitting through his mind. Once again, he couldn’t decide if his son would be more excited to go to the bakery, or if _he_ would be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good? Bad? Stop while I'm ahead?? Chapter 3 will have Kagami in it more as they go to visit his bakery!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine and Atsushi go back and see Kagami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder this is a slow build story and I really want to write about Aomine and Atsushi's relationship cause it's ridiculously cute, so it is about all three of them, not just Aomine and Kagami. There will most likely be some nsfw content later on, but as of right now its gonna stay ridiculously cute. Also, I am very busy in school so please forgive my slow updates. I am doing my best. Fighto me!

Aomine pulled at his tie as he quickly walked out of the building. He was running late to pick up Atsushi, his meeting having run overtime. He had told Satsuki that he needed to leave on time, but she had cornered him to introduce him to the new secretary on his floor. Granted, the woman was gorgeous, and lord did she have a nice body, but he hadn’t felt anything while talking to her. Her voice grated on his nerves and the way she smiled shyly at him made him exhausted. He had done that game over and over again, too many times to count. He had seduced and attractive so many women that he had lost count, and he still did. The difference between his young, wild days and now was Atsushi. As the woman had droned on, Satsuki trying to be sneaky as she slithered away, he had only been concerned about starting his meeting so he could leave on time. He had been serious when he had told his son he never broke his promises, and although being late technically wasn’t a break in a promise, it still irritated him enough to tell the woman to go away. He vaguely remembered her surprised, then offended face.

_Whatever._

She shouldn’t pin her hopes on him anyways. He was too caught up in his own life to focus on yet another person, let alone one that irritated him at the first meeting.

“Dai-chan!”

“Ugh not now Satsuki, I gotta go get Atsushi from daycare, which I’m late for. Thanks for that by the way,” Aomine growled as he continued to walk, unbuttoning his collar, finally feeling he could breathe.

His arm was grabbed a second later, the woman in front of him staring at him with extreme annoyance.

“Dai-chan, how could you brush off Aki-chan like that?”

“Who?”

Short pink hair waved in annoyance as Momoi shook her head, “You didn’t bother remembering her name. Dammit, Dai-chan! I’m trying to help you and you aren’t even trying.”

Aomine unbuttoned his sleeves at the wrist next, rolling one up, then the other as he spoke, “Satsuki, I didn’t ask for your help. I don’t need someone right now besides Atsushi. I have my hands full without a woman butting in on my son and my life. So stop fucking helping me and just leave me be.”

Momoi sighed, her eyes turning slightly sad as she stared at him, “Dai-chan, you must be lonely with just you and Atsushi. He needs a mother, as much as you hate to hear it, and you need another adult around. It would be good for you both.”

“Look, I know exactly what my son needs, and contrary to what you may think, I know what I need too. I will find someone, when that someone is worth my time. I’m not bringing some airheaded bimbo into our lives just in order to simply have someone. I’m not that stupid, Satsuki.”

“I know you aren’t stupid Dai-chan. I didn’t mean to offend you, I just…I just really want you to be happy. You and Atsushi,” Big pink eyes filled with unshed tears.

Aomine ruffled his best friend’s hair, knowing she hated it, and gave her a small smile, “I know Satsuki, don’t worry. I really am happy right now with just Atsushi. I waited so long for him, it’s nice when it’s just us. I promise if someone comes along that I find interesting, I will make an effort, ok?”

Momoi smiled and nodded, “Ok, thank you Dai-chan. I want to come see my favorite nephew this weekend so don’t try to plan anything without me.”

Aomine snorted, “He is your only nephew, dummy, and fine. We won’t do anything without you. I gotta go now though, I’m super late.”

As he jogged down the stairs he vaguely heard his friend say goodbye, his mind running ahead to how upset his son was going to be now that he was a full thirty minutes behind. He hoped Atsushi wouldn’t be that sad.

* * *

 

 Kuroko held onto the large toddler, the boy in his arms wailing as he latched onto him. His hearing was practically nonexistent at this point, Atsushi having started crying about twenty minutes ago. It wasn’t normal for Aomine to be late, but when he was, everyone in the daycare wished that he would arrive soon. Atsushi could handle being away from his father for a specific amount of time, but after that, the young boy was inconsolable until he was back in Aomine’s arms.

Kuroko hummed and rubbed soothing circles on the boy’s back, pacing around the quiet room in the daycare. He had had to come to this room as Atsushi’s crying was upsetting the other remaining children, their parents looking at the crying boy with worry. Granted, all children cried, but when one couldn’t be comforted, it tended to look bad for the daycare as a business. Plus, Kuroko was the only one who could actually touch Atsushi when he was like this, the boy lashing out at anyone else who tried to hold him.

“Shhh Atsushi-kun it’s ok. Your papa will be here soon. He probably had a long meeting today. Shhhh it’s ok.”

The wailing reigned on, the boy not able to speak proper words at this point, Kuroko’s shoulder and shirt soaked with tears and snot. He was used to it, but as his arms shook, he realized he was going to have to put Atsushi down soon. The toddler was bigger than the other kids that he carried and Kuroko wasn’t exactly the strongest man to begin with. Of course if he did set Atsushi down, the high pitched screaming would begin again. He had tried giving the boy a snack to calm him, but nothing except Aomine would manage that at this point. Kuroko hoped his friend would show up soon.

A knock on the door came a moment later, a head poking in, “Kuroko-san, Aomine-san is here for Atsushi.”

Sighing in relief, Kuroko nodded and immediately headed for the front of the daycare, his friend’s dark blue hair coming into sight as he neared the counter.

“Atsushi look who’s here.”

The question immediately had the boy stopping his wails and turning to look behind them, the sight of Aomine at the counter making the boy squirm in Kuroko’s arms. Taking the hint, Kuroko set the boy on the ground and followed after him as Atsushi ran towards his papa yelling.

“Papa! Papa!”

Kuroko watched as Aomine turned to the sound and a big smile broke out on his face. There was a time that Kuroko thought no one would ever see that smile again, Aomine having completely shut down in high school. He remembered trying to bring that smile back through basketball, but unfortunately failing. Aomine was his best friend, and had remained that way since middle school, even when Aomine had wanted nothing to do with him. Kuroko had never given up on the man, knowing that deep down Aomine was a very nice and gentle person. The day his friend had received Atsushi was the first day that he, and Momoi, had seen their friend smile again, both of them being present for Atsushi’s arrival. He had nearly cried as Aomine had grinned down at the purple haired bundle, and Momoi had sobbed. He didn’t know what drove Aomine to adopt a child, but it had been the best decision his friend could ever make for himself. Kuroko saw that same smile everyday now when Aomine arrived to get his son. It made him happy when his friends were doing well in their lives, them being all he had at this point. He didn’t know what an overwhelming happiness like Aomine had felt like, but he was content seeing his friend have that feeling.

“I’m really sorry Tetsu for being late. Was he really upset? He looks like he was crying a lot.”

At his friend’s concerned face, Kuroko smiled slightly, “Its ok, Aomine-kun. He was pretty upset, but it wasn’t anything to worry about. You’re here for him and that’s all that matters.”

“Ahh yeah, I suppose so. Thanks again for being here Tetsu.”

Kuroko shook his head, “It’s my job Aomine-kun, and I’ll always be here to help with Atsushi. Although, now that I’ve said that, I think it would be best for everyone involved if you weren’t so late.”

Aomine cringed as he held his son in his arms, “Yeah, I’m really sorry. It’s Satsuki’s fault though.”

Kuroko reached up and pinched his friend’s forearm. Not enough to disturb the boy in his arms, but enough to make Aomine jerk in surprise.

“Don’t blame other people Aomine-kun.”

“Yeah yeah, I know. Sorry and I won’t be this late again.”

Kuroko nodded, “Good, thank you. Now you should go see that baker you wanted to see. I mean, the baker that Atsushi wanted to see. He’s talked about “Kagachin” all day. He is very excited.”

Kuroko watched as his friend’s cheeks got slightly pink as he looked away to scratch the back of his head. _Knew it._

“Ahhh yeah, well...they have good sweets there. And Kagami was really good with Atsushi. And…they have good sweets.”

Kuroko tilted his head in amusement, “You said that already Aomine-kun.”

Aomine jerked at the realization and blushed a bit harder, “Yeah, I just wanted to be clear they have good sweets and that’s why we are going. No other reasons Tetsu, so don’t start spreading rumors to Satsuki or anyone else!”

“I don’t spread rumors Aomine-kun. You should go though before Atsushi gets impatient,” Kuroko saw the boy wiggling in his father’s arms now that he was satisfied he was there to stay.

Aomine nodded and held Atsushi tighter, “Yeah, ok. See you tomorrow Tetsu. Night.”

With a wave, Kuroko watched Aomine and Atsushi leave, enjoying the sight of the man smiling down at the boy in his arms as Atsushi told him about his day. As they disappeared out of sight, Kuroko’s eyes rested on a couple leaving with their daughter, the family seeming happy and holding hands as they walked.

Kuroko frowned at the sight. Maybe his friend was on to something with adopting. At least he had someone that made him happy at the end of the day, which was more than Kuroko could say for himself. A tug on his apron interrupted his negative thoughts, a little girl smiling up at him and holding a yellow crayon out for him.

“Kuroko-san, please color with me.”

He smiled and took the crayon, walking with the girl over to a short table and sitting on the floor next to it. Reaching forward he looked at the picture in the coloring book, the sun taking up almost one entire page.

“This sun is very big, don’t you think?”

The girl giggled and pushed his hand and the yellow crayon towards the page, “Yes of course Kuroko-san, it has to be. The sun is pretty and shiny and makes everyone happy.”

Kuroko smiled as he started coloring, “Of course. I think the sun is pretty as well.”

* * *

 

“And then we colored and had another snack. Kurochin always lets me have his snack too!”

Aomine grinned down at the boy in his arms as he sat on the train. This was one of the best parts of his day, listening to his son chat about his activities. Everything seemed like so much fun to Atsushi, the smallest things making the little boy immensely happy. Seeing his son so happy always put Aomine in a good mood, no matter how his day was, and it helped him to remember to appreciate the little things in life, as corny as that sounded, even to him. His son was constantly teaching his papa lessons without him even knowing.

“Papa, are we going to Kagachin’s now?”

“Yep we are bear cub. And you have to hold papa’s hand the whole time, remember?”

Atushi nodded, “Yes I remember papa. I don’t go anywhere without letting papa know first.”

Aomine grinned and kissed his son’s cheek, “That’s right Atsushi, good job.”

The overhead speaker announced their stop, Aomine standing and holding his son tight to his chest for the moment as the crowd of the train prepared to depart. Kagami’s bakery was in a fairly popular area of the city, which obviously was good for his business but not good for a little boy to walk around freely. The thought of that day he nearly lost Atsushi made Aomine shiver. He was so thankful that Kagami was able to distract his son enough to keep him in one spot. He was really going to have to thank the man properly.

“Papa let’s go!”

As the doors opened, the crowd launched forward, Aomine smiling as he carefully walked down the stairs to the street.

“Don’t worry little cub, I’m going. Now which way was it to the bakery?”

Atsushi pointed to his left with a small, chubby finger, “That way, that way.”

Aomine stopped and raised his eyebrows, “Which way?”

Sighing dramatically, Atsushi waved his hand in the direction of the left street, “Papa right! Right!”

“Right? Ok,” Aomine turned right, heading in the opposite direction his son had pointed.

The wrong direction made Atsushi gasp and tug on his father’s tie, “No no papa, wrong way! Left!”

Aomine grinned as he stopped and turned, “Ohhhhhh left. I understand.”

As they walked towards the busy square where Kagami’s bakery was, Aomine looked around at the shops, noticing they were pretty high end, one of them even a store just for children, the clothes looking very expensive. Aomine’s job paid fairly well, something he was thankful for especially with Atsushi, but as he looked closer at the clothes he cringed. They were absurdly pricy, something he would never buy for his son, the little boy ruining or outgrowing practically everything he wore within a few weeks. He wondered if Kagami was a genius for putting his bakery in such a place or not. Even if his sweets were decently priced, would anyone come to this side of the city to buy sweets?

Turning the corner, Aomine stopped in his tracks as he saw the line of people waiting outside of Kagami’s bakery, or rather, the line was long enough to extend out the door. Apparently Kagami was in fact a genius.

“Papa, are we not gonna get any sweets?”

Aomine patted his son’s back as he stood in line, “Of course we are. We just have to wait for the people in front of us to get their sweets first. We have to be patient.”

He watched his son pout, his bottom lip jutting out, “But I wanna see Kagachin and eat sweets now, papa.”

“I know Atsushi, me too, but we can’t cut in front of people. That’s rude. And we aren’t rude, right?”

The little boy sighed and put his head on Aomine’s shoulder, his voice annoyed, “Right. I still want sweets now. We should crush these people.”

Aomine tried not to laugh at his son’s constant phrase, but he couldn’t help snorting in amusement, “Atsushi we talked about this. We don’t crush people.”

The little boy rubbed his face against Aomine’s chest, mumbling into the fabric, “I know papa. Unless they are bad people.”

“That’s right, unless they are bad people. And people who want sweets aren’t bad, right?”

Atushi looked up at him with bright eyes now, “No, sweets are the best papa! They are like happiness in your mouth!”

Taking a few steps forward, Aomine nodded, “That’s right. So we have to be patient and wait politely ok?”

Purple hair ducked back down to rub into his chest, the boy solemnly mumbling, “Right.”

* * *

 

Kagami smiled at the old woman as he handed over a red and black treat box, “Thank you for coming and come again soon!”

The old woman smiled and hugged the box to her chest, “Of course I will dear. These are my favorite sweets and my husband loves them too. I bring them to him in the hospital and he always feels a bit happier after having them.”

Kagami smiled more genuinely at her, “I’m happy to hear that. I hope he recovers and can come to get some himself soon.”

Smiling more, the old woman nodded, “Me too. Thank you again dear. Goodbye now.”

Waving goodbye, Kagami turned to the next customer, quickly taking their order and grabbing yet another treat box and filling it with brownie bites. He was just ringing the man up and turning to the next customer when his shoulder was tapped. Automatically he moved to the side, allowing Mitobe to pull the near empty tray of brownie bites from the front display and putting a fresh, full tray in its place.

“Thanks Mitobe. I’ll be back to help once the after work rush quiets down a bit.”

The silent man nodded and smiled, heading to the back with the empty tray, probably to make yet another batch of brownies and more cookies. He had been working for Kagami since college, coming in when Kagami had just opened his bakery. The interview process had been interesting, but Mitobe had a very good resume even though he refused to speak. Kagami had thought maybe a display of skill would be better than an average interview, and he wasn’t disappointed when Mitobe presented him with the warmest, gooiest peanut butter cookie he had ever eaten. He had hired the man on the spot and still to this day had never heard the other man speak. Though that never hindered their work, Mitobe easily following instructions and Kagami enjoying the silent work next to the other man.

“Hello, can I have an assortment of cookies please? A dozen would be wonderful.”

Kagami smiled at the woman, “Yes of course. Would you like any specific kinds or just an equal amount of all?”

The woman studied the window that was placed in front of the treats for a long moment before answering, “All please. I love the sweets here.”

Filling up the cookie box, Kagami smiled, “I’m very happy to hear that. Do you have a favorite?”

“Oh my yes! I love the devilishly chocolate cupcakes! They are like heaven in your mouth!”

Laughing, Kagami closed the box lid and rang up the order, “That’s ironic considering the name.”

The woman paid and laughed along with him, “Yes, the owner was very sly naming them that and making them so wonderful. Please tell him his bakery is my favorite and he is doing wonderful work!”

Kagami smiled and handed the box over with the receipt, “Of course. Thank you for coming and come again soon!”

The woman left with a grin, already digging into the cookie box and taking a bit of an iced sugar cookie. The look on her face was pure bliss, the smile on her face different than it was before. That was the exact reason Kagami had opened a bakery. He loved cooking, of course, but he loved seeing people happy over something so small as sweets. He had noticed how excited he got when he had something sweet or how happy his friend’s got when he made them a birthday cake. It was a special kind of happiness. Small and pure, the happiness of eating something sugary and divine was a wonderful burst of emotion, and Kagami wanted more and more people to experience that.

He had gone to culinary school specifically for baking and even though it was extremely tough, much more than he had expected, he had graduated with flying colors. Luckily, food was an interest to him or he may have failed; it wasn’t a secret he wasn’t the best in school. He had immediately told his brother, who had gone into business, about his idea to open a bakery, and with a bit of luck and a lot of hard work, he and Himuro had opened this small bakery. He handled the managing and food part of the business and Himuro handled the accounting and business side of it. He knew his brother helped him simply because they were brothers, but the free sweets he got out of it seemed to make him happy enough for payment.

Kagami loved his job and how popular the bakery was, but as he helped customer after customer, a constant nagging in the back of his mind held him back from being completely happy. It had been three days since he had seen the gorgeous man and his adorable son that had been in his store. He remembered the little boy and how his eyes lit up at the sight of the treats. The boy was a walking definition of the happiness Kagami got from his sweets, the boy seeming to be obsessed with them in general. The man on the other hand, had been a walking, dark, sinful promise that Kagami had wanted to wrap himself around and never leave. He had been gorgeous, his dark skin and dark blue hair etched into Kagami’s mind. His body was flawless and his smile had screamed confidence and sex. Kagami hadn’t been able to get that smile out of his head since he’d seen it, his dreams filled with the mystery man.

_No, not a mystery. Aomine Daiki._

Even the name brought sin to Kagami’s mind. But it hadn’t just been his looks. When the man had rushed into his bakery in a panic, he had seen a much more vulnerable side to him, something that was apparently brought out only by his son. Kagami had watched the man drop to his knees in the middle of the floor and hug the little boy harder than ever, the relief on his face palpable even to an outsider like himself. He had genuinely smiled at the boy, cared about him, and obviously loved him completely. It was that overly apparent love that had made the man unforgettable, Kagami wondering what it would be like to bask under such a bright, loving light.

But even as the man had said they would be back, they hadn’t once walked back in, something that Kagami found irritating and a bit sad. He wasn’t going to lie and say he didn’t hope the door chime to his bakery was the man and his son every time it went off. Upon seeing it wasn’t them, Kagami grew a bit sadder every time it happened, his sadness slowly morphing into regret. Maybe he should have taken the plunge and given the man his number. Of course, he had no idea if the man was even gay, or if he was single. He had a son, maybe he also had a girlfriend or a wife, although Kagami hadn’t seen a ring on his finger, as ashamed as he was to admit he had looked. Maybe it was for the best that the man didn’t show back up with his cuter than ever son who loved sweets. Kagami was so busy lately, he certainly didn’t want to half ass a relationship with a sweet family like that.

_Maybe it really is for the best._

“Hello again.”

The voice caused Kagami to shiver and look up from his register, his eyes locking with Aomine’s, the corner of his blue eyes crinkled slightly as he grinned, Kagami not able to resist smiling back.

“I don’t know if you remember us, but we were in here a few days before and we couldn’t wait to come back.”

Kagami’s heart fluttered as Aomine spoke, his hands getting a little sweaty as he watched the man speak. Everything Kagami had remembered wasn’t even close to what Aomine was in person: the man was drop dead gorgeous and Kagami was a liar for thinking it would be better off not seeing him.

“Papa me too! I wanna see Kagachin!”

Kagami’s grin turned into something different, his smile and slight chuckle turning more innocent as he leaned over the counter to look down at a wild head of purple hair. His heart tugged hard at the sight of the little boy’s round eyes, the toothy grin on his face as he gripped the counter and tried to see up to where Kagami was.

“Of course I remember. Hello Atsushi, how are you?”

The boy bounced on his toes a bit as he spoke, his hair moving along with the action, “I’m great Kagachin, but I want a sweet and we have been patient like papa said and some lady left with a big cookie and I really wanna big cookie too. Please!”

Kagami couldn’t help but laugh heartily at the quickly added “please” at the end of the boy’s rushed speech. Leaning back he looked at Aomine again, the man grinning unabashedly at him now, one of his large, dark hands on his son’s purple head.

“As you can see, we are both eager to be here, although I didn’t realize it would be so busy.”

Teasingly narrowing his eyes, Kagami smirked, “Oh? Did you think I was a failed business or something?”

Aomine looked worried for a second that he had offended him, but then he noticed the smirk Kagami was sporting, his own sinfully sliding onto his lips.

“Of course not, I was just hoping maybe it would be empty. That way Atsushi and I could have you, and your sweets, to ourselves.”

If Kagami had thought for one second that this man didn’t know how to flirt, or wouldn’t be up to it, he was immediately proven wrong after that those two short sentences, his ears turning red as he looked to the side at his sweets. He was way out of his element with Aomine, the man obviously much more practiced in smooth talking and flirting than he was.

Scratching the back of his head, Kagami spoke, his voice a bit uneven as he realized Aomine was still smirking, “Oh I see..well…umm…there are lots of sweets, and me, here for both of you.”

  
Kagami nearly died at the accidental double entendre, his eyes flitting to Aomine’s to see the man throwing his head back and laughing loudly, the sound filling the bakery. Kagami simply stared at the wonderful sight, Atsushi pipping up as his father laughed.

“Kagachin, can I have my cookie now? Please!”

Looking back at the little boy, Kagami sighed and smiled again, “Of course Atsushi, which one would you like? You should pick one for your daddy too.”

The little boy happily jumped in front of the sweet window and stared at the cookies in serious concentration.

“Hmmm I want a sugary one with frosting and papa wants a choco chip one, right papa?”

Aomine had stopped laughing but was sporting a wide smile now, the sight making Kagami’s heart flutter once again.

“Yes, little cub, I want a chocolate chip one.”

Grabbing the two cookies and placing them in a red bag, Kagami rang up the order, Atsushi grabbing for the bag as soon as he handed it over.

“Do you mind if we sit at a table in here?”

Kagami grinned and shook his head, “Of course not, go ahead. The rush should be over in the next ten minutes or so, then the noise will quiet down. And maybe you will need another cookie by then, right Atsushi?”

The little boy nodded eagerly as he bit happily into his cookie, frosting smeared on his lips. Aomine grabbed some napkins and took his son’s hand to head to the table, but not before grinning at Kagami again.

“When your rush is over, if you have a minute, feel free to come over and join us.”

With that, both father and son turned and headed to the table near the window, each of them sitting and happily eating their cookies, Aomine letting his son try a bite of his. Kagami imagined himself sitting with them and grinned. Hopefully the last of the rush would end sooner rather than later and Mitobe wouldn’t mind him taking his break a little early. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The challenges of having a toddler arise in this chapter. Aomine and Kagami handle it in different ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder again, this is a slow moving story. It focuses on the journey that Aomine and Kagami take into being in a relationship, being fathers (or possible fathers), and how they handle it all. So....very slow. :D

“Atsushi, let me wipe your face off a bit. You have frosting all over your lips.”

Aomine shook his head in amusement as he watched his son try to lick the remaining frosting off, his eyes crossed as he tried to look past his nose to his mouth. His tongue was wagging all over the place as he cleaned himself.

“Bear cub please, let me help you,” Aomine leaned forward and gently held his son’s chin steady.

Atsushi swatted angrily at the napkin, the action sending it to the floor. Aomine leaned back with a frown and stared at the boy, Atsushi staring straight back at him, both silent. Aomine had noticed these slight outbursts of irritation or stubbornness that Atsushi had been having lately. He knew that his son was quite independent in certain areas of his life, and he tried to give him the space he needed, but sometimes an outburst simply wasn’t appropriate or called for. This case being one of them.

“Atsushi, why did you do that?”

The boy crossed his arms and jutted his lip out in defiance, “I don’t wanna have the frosting off.”

Sitting back in his chair, Aomine mirrored his son’s image, his legs spread slightly as they looked at one another.

“You have to wipe it off or your face will be sticky. Did you want to wipe it off yourself?”

The grumpy toddler huffed and pushed his hair angrily from his face, his forehead crinkled as he glared at Aomine.

“I don’t wanna be clean papa!”

Aomine clenched his jaw, trying for patience as he noticed the stray few costumers left turning to stare at the outburst. He wasn’t a patient person to begin with, but he would like to think since having a toddler, he had gained quite a bit of experience over the years. Taking a deep breath before answering, Aomine tried to keep his voice calm.

“Atsushi, if your face is sticky then it will get your hair and clothes dirty. We won’t be able to stay to have another cookie if that happens. Didn’t you want to have another cookie with Kagami?”

The little boy seemed conflicted at the question, his eyes darting to look back at the sweets displayed in the window and Kagami at the register. Aomine hoped that the lure of another sweet would make his son calm down, but he did remember that he had been late to pick Atsushi up. His son had been crying for a while from what Tetsu had said, and the little boy was probably much more tired than normal. Aomine was going to guess that Atsushi needed to go home and take a short nap. He waited, watching as Atsushi made a decision and turned back to him, his lip jutted out further than before.

_Ah yes, definitely needs a nap._

“I don’t want to be clean papa.”

Standing with another soft sigh, Aomine took their used bag and napkins, leaning over to grab the fallen one on the floor, and threw them in the trash before walking to the now empty counter. Kagami’s head popped up a second later, his eyes a little surprised to see Aomine standing there.

Aomine smiled apologetically, “Kagami, I’m really sorry to do this after I just invited you to sit with us, but Atsushi is feeling a bit tired and needs to go home for a nap. I was late picking him up today and it kind of threw his routine off.”

The baker nodded in understanding and smiled, “No big deal, really. I get really cranky when I don’t get my sleep too, so tell Atsushi he isn’t the only one.”

Aomine felt relief wash through him, the feeling slightly out of place as he didn’t realize he had been worried. He grinned a bit wider before answering.

“Yeah, same here. It would be nice to be able to take a nap a few times a day, although now that I said that I just feel extremely old,” Aomine frowned in mock shock, the act causing Kagami to laugh, just as he had hoped.

“You aren’t the only one. He will miss the naps when he’s older. Wow…you really aren’t the only old one here,” Red eyes got wide as Kagami stared down at his hands, obviously inspecting for fake wrinkles.

Aomine laughed freely at the sight, Kagami grinning up at him. Honestly, Aomine didn’t want to leave, the conversations he had had with the baker, even though very few, were amazingly smooth and easy going. He felt his stress lift from his shoulders when he spoke to Kagami, the redhead capturing his focus completely. But his son was obviously tired and he would be selfish to think he could trick Atsushi into staying and being polite just to fulfill his own needs. Although, he still wanted to talk to Kagami more.

Deciding to just go for it, Aomine grabbed a red business card and held it up, “If I call, will you be the one answering?”

The implication and unasked question was painfully obvious, Aomine watching Kagami’s face as the redhead stared at the card for a long moment then up at him. The look went on for a while, each of them staring into the other’s eyes, their hearts beating hard. A wail behind him had Aomine turning to watching his son kicking his feet in protest of not being put down. As he was distracted, the card was snatched out of his fingers and placed back into them a few seconds later when he turned back towards Kagami.

“Here. That’s my personal number. That way I will definitely be the one answering,” the grin Kagami gave him had Aomine’s mouth getting dry.

Recovering quickly, Aomine smirked and pocketed the card, “Got it. I’ll be sure to use it then. Thanks again, Kagami.”

With a teasing smirk and a wave, Aomine walked back to his son, lifting him up in one easy swoop, even as the boy protested.

“Come on little cub, let’s go home and take a bath.”

Atsushi flailed and kicked against him, tears streaming down his face as he yelled in extreme protest. Aomine couldn’t understand most of what he was saying but he simply hugged his son closer and rubbed his back, knowing he would calm down as soon as his energy wore out. Just as predicted, by the time Aomine had walked to the train station, Atsushi was silently mumbling into his shirt collar, holding onto the back of his neck tightly.

Aomine sat at an empty seat and situated his son on his lap, cradling him to his chest as Atsushi looked up at him with big watery eyes.

“Papa I’m sorry.”

Smiling softly, Aomine leaned down at pushed his son’s long bangs from his forehead, kissing the exposed skin lovingly.

“It’s ok little cub. You’re just a little tired. Everyone gets cranky when they are tired.”

The little boy yawned and shook his head a bit, “Not papa though.”

Chuckling, Aomine leaned back into the seat, letting his son lay over his chest in a more comfortable position, “Yes even papa. I just am a bit older and learn to hide my crankiness. Kagami gets cranky too. He told me.”

The mention of Kagami getting cranky made Atsushi’s eyes get big, the idea completely foreign to him, “Kagachin too? But he has all those sweets.”

Aomine had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing too loudly on the train, “Yes, even Kagami. Making sweets is different from eating them, little cub. It’s tiring and a lot of work I’d imagine.”

His son rested his head heavily on his chest, just under Aomine’s neck, “Papa? Do you think I could make sweets like Kagachin when I grow up?”

Rubbing soothing circles on his son’s back, Aomine kissed the top of his head as the boy yawned again, “Of course bear cub. You can do whatever you want when you get older.”

Atsushi rubbed at his eyes tiredly before closing them, his hand moving down to grip Aomine’s shirt front tightly, “Ok papa. But if I make sweets I’m gonna have nap time too.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea, Atsushi. I’d come eat your sweets and take long naps at your store.”

The little boy didn’t have the strength to respond, instead his small fist squeezed Aomine’s shirt tighter. Letting out a content sigh, Aomine looked out the window and watched the city fly by, listening absently to the announced stops until theirs was next. Standing with his sleeping son in his arms, Aomine walked to the door and waited, his eyes scanning the people around him, noticing that a few women were smiling and nodding at him. Some were even whispering to their friend’s. He got that often, especially when Atsushi fell asleep and he was carrying him. He wouldn’t be surprised if one of them came over to talk to him, although he really wished it wouldn’t happen.

_Just open the door already._

“Excuse me?”

_Ah too slow._

Looking to his right he saw a short woman, her thick black hair styled perfectly around her face and shoulders. She had big brown eyes and a cute smile, her whole body seeming to be just right and cute. If it had been six years earlier, Aomine would probably flirt and tease her into giving him his number, or if she was willing to go to a hotel, he would have immediately found one. But now, with his son in his arms and a certain redhead on his mind, Aomine stared at her emotionless.

“Yeah?”

The woman obviously didn’t experience a reaction as harshly as Aomine’s often, her cute smile falling just a little bit.

“I just wanted to tell you your son is adorable. Does he take after his mother?”

Aomine looked back at the door, already knowing how this conversation was going to play out, “He doesn’t have a mother and thank you.”

The girl’s smile came back full force, “Really? That’s too bad. You don’t have a girlfriend then?”

Tired of the conversation, Aomine turned and looked her dead in the eyes before leaving, the doors opening as he spoke, “No and I’m not looking for one.”

Walking forward, Aomine let himself be swept away in the crowd, the shock on the girl’s face the only thing he left behind. His mind seemed to remind him that he didn’t mind when Kagami had smiled and flirted with him, his eyebrows furrowing at the comparison. He hadn’t thought Kagami was annoying or a pest for one second, in fact welcoming the light teasing conversations the baker had with him. He had even gotten his number and the card was already burning a hole in his pocket. Vaguely, a memory of his earlier conversation with Satsuki came back to him.

_I promise if I find someone I like I will make an effort, Satsuki._

Carrying his son towards his apartment, Aomine grinned to himself. With Kagami it wasn’t going to be a burden to make an effort, his hand twitching to pull out the deep red card already.

A stirring in his arms had Aomine looking down at his son, his heart warming as he watched Atsushi rub his face. The boy suddenly stopped his hands and looked up at his father with droopy eyes.

“Papa?”

“Yes bear cub?”

“My face is sticky.”

Aomine had to bite his lip hard in order not to laugh, “Do you wanna take a bath when we get home?”

Atsushi nodded as he brought his hands up to inspect them, “I don’t like being sticky papa.”

“I know.”

Purple eyes glanced back up to his, his son’s face cutely irritated, “You are right too much papa.”

Aomine couldn’t help his laughter as he kissed his son’s head again, “I’m sorry bear cub. I’ll try to not be right so much.”

Atsushi nodded as he looked at his hands again with a disproving look, “Good. Thank you papa.”

Climbing the stairs to their home, Aomine patted the long purple hair, “Your welcome Atsushi.”

* * *

 

Kagami climbed out of the tub after resting for nearly a half hour, the water barely luke warm, his skin feeling pruny and soft. He had been thinking of Aomine and Atsushi, the scene at the bakery playing out in his head. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t been disappointed when Aomine had said they needed to leave. He was sure Mitobe would call him out for the lie too, Kagami just a bit more testy than normal for the rest of the evening. He had texted Mitobe on his way home, apologizing, the silent man texting back to say it was fine and not to worry. Even in his text Mitobe was ridiculously nice and understanding. Why couldn’t he be like that? He had been so mad at himself when he had gotten home. A thought had sprinted through his mind for an awful second, the remaining guilt it left huge.

_If Aomine didn’t have Atsushi, maybe he could have stayed._

He had actually thought that. He had cursed himself a hundred times over thinking something so horrible and selfish. Who knew what had happened for Atsushi to need a new home, or how hard Aomine probably had to work to be approved as a single parent to an adopted toddler. And here he was, thinking selfish thoughts on the vague possibility of getting laid.

He roughly toweled himself off and yanked on a pair of boxers and sweatpants, not bothering with a shirt, his feet carrying him to his kitchen to try to get away from his own thoughts. Reaching into the fridge and taking out the ingredients he needed for udon soup, he let his mind wander to the toddler. Atsushi was adorable and sweet, the little boy obviously lived a full life with Aomine. Kagami remembered the boy walking into his store the first time, his bright purple eyes round as he pressed his face against the glass that separated him from the many sweets. He had looked around for any parents, but upon realizing the boy had apparently wandered off, he figured keeping him in one spot would be best. He had judged by the look on the boy’s face that a cookie would go a long way in keeping him in the shop, and how right he had been.

The boy had looked at him as if Kagami was his hero, his small chubby hands reaching up and grasping for the cookie before Kagami had even pulled it from the tray. As he had taken his first bite, Kagami had watched that round face scrunch up into a heavenly smile, his eyes squinted shut as he chewed, chocolate on his lips and fingers. Kagami had tried not to laugh at the sight, but just as he started chuckling Atsushi had looked directly at him, smiling that sugary sweet smile, causing Kagami’s heart to stutter and restart.

Kagami had never been good with kids, his body and constantly frowning face scaring them off. Plus he was loud, something he had quickly realized didn’t mesh well with children. But Atsushi had smiled at him, the act pure and completely open. He had felt important, bigger than life, something a kin to a hero under the boy’s purple eyes, that feeling making him smile right back.

As he thought about the boy more and more, he realized he wanted to do other things to make him smile and be happy. Maybe Atsushi liked carnivals or going to fairs. Kagami’s frown turned into a grin as he thought the boy might like basketball, although judging from his sweet addicted attitude, Kagami guessed the little boy might take more prompting to getting into sports. As he cooked the thick noodles, Kagami let himself imagine taking the little boy to a fair, maybe letting him ride on his shoulders. They could play the games and eat all the good food, and when they were done they could go home to Aomine who would be waiting there for them after getting off work.

Kagami stopped stirring his noodles and stepped back against the counter, his eyes wide as his brain started processing his thoughts. He and Atsushi at a fair? Playing games and eating? Going home to Aomine?

“What the hell Taiga?”

He had no idea how he had jumped from a horrible thought of keeping Aomine all to himself to jumping straight into having a family with the two of them, but he needed to stop right now. Yeah, he was extremely interested in Aomine, his entire body screaming and craving a night, or two with the man, but did that mean he was ready to jump into being a parent himself? Didn’t he already establish he was horrible with children?

Rubbing his hands up and down his face, he cleared his mind, smacking his cheeks hard and muttering to himself.

“Get it together Taiga. You aren’t father material, or even really boyfriend material. Just cook your dinner and go to sleep. You have a business to run and no room for a single dad and a little boy.”

Nodding at his own thoughts as if confirming them, Kagami went back to stirring his soup, adding the last of his ingredients, his stomach rumbling at the exact moment that he was turning the stove dial off. He made a mental effort to push Aomine and Atsushi from his mind, the two of them confusing his thoughts more in the past week than anything else had in the past six months, and they were just customers. Kagami didn’t dare imagine how confusing his life would be if he actually became involved with them. Devouring the soup, he put his bowl in the sink to wash later and turned the light off, a large yawn already hitting him as he walked to his bedroom.

Sinking into the soft mattress he sighed at the pleasant silence surrounding him, the cool sheets against his skin as the soft breeze drifted in through the window. Just as he was drifting off his phone lit up, the light making him frown and open his eyes. Rolling to the side he looked down at the screen, wincing as the brightness hit his un-adjusted pupils.

_From: Unknown_  
_It’s Aomine, sorry for the late text. Just wondering if you were up and wanted to talk a bit. I can’t sleep due to somebodies delicious sweets that seem to be keeping me awake. You should take responsibility._

Kagami reread the text once, then twice, his eyes now adjusted as he stared down at the screen. He stared long enough for the screen to dim, his thumb swiping quickly to keep the text open.

_To: Aomine_  
_You ate that cookie nearly six hours ago, are you really that old that it is messing with your sleep?_

Kagami waited for the next text, the screen alerting him, his fingers hastily opening the message. The words made him smile, his body sinking back into his pillows as he propped his arms up to get comfortable.

_From: Aomine_  
_Oi! It’s the opposite, I’m so young I have a sugar rush. Like I said, take responsibility for my problem._

_To: Aomine_  
_Oh? And how would you like me to do that? Do you need a bedtime story?_

_From: Aomine_  
_I might, although I only want one if I can hear your voice._

Kagami had just finished reading the message when his screen lit up, Aomine’s number in big bold font across it. He stared at the number, feeling it vibrate as it rang, his mind racing. What had happened to not getting involved? What had happened to not being boyfriend, or parent, material? What happened to keeping to yourself?

His thumb was already pressing down on the green Accept button before his mind had time to come up with answers to those questions, the phone to his ear as he spoke.

“Hello?”

"Kagami."

He had no idea what had happened to his mindset, but as Aomine spoke directly into his ear, Kagami sighed and closed his eyes, the sound traveling throughout his body, wrapping around him to the point that he wasn’t sure that he could live without it.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you enjoy it?? I love toddler Atsushi and how Aomine handles him. :) Next chapter will be as soon as I can post it. I apologize for the longer waits. School is demanding, as I'm sure many of you know. Thank you for your continuing support!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine and Kagami flirt heavily. (this chapter has a lot of dialogue. sorry!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry updates are taking longer than normal. I will do my best to go a bit faster! Inspiration isn't hitting me as hard lately for whatever reason. Although that's not rare; I'll bounce back soon. Fighto me! 
> 
> Also WARNING! There is slight cussing and mentions of nsfw in this chapter, just slight mentions. I can't remember what I rated this story (have to go back and check) but just wanted to give you all a heads up.

“Aomine.”

Aomine had to hold back from letting out a growl of approval at hearing Kagami’s voice. He knew it had been late when he had sent that text, but the time was half the reason he had decided to go ahead with it. He had imagined Kagami in bed and how he might sound all sleepy. He had bet it would be adorably cute or ridiculously sexy; of course it was both and the sound was echoing deep into his ear to consume his mind.

“You still there?”

“Ah yeah, sorry, just spacing.”

A deep chuckle came next, the sound breathless and lazy, “You really are getting old. Sugar rushes now spacing out. Don’t tell me you’re going to fall asleep on the phone cause you crashed from the sugar.”

Aomine grinned into the dark as he settled back on his bed, his free arm coming up under his head as he held the phone close.

“You know you’re basically describing a child right? I think you have your facts backwards.”

“Ah possibly but you know, they say children and old people have a lot in common. So who really knows? Although if I put money on it, I’d say you’re reaching that elderly age.”

“Elderly?!” Another, deep chuckle in his ear had Aomine grinning even as he pretended to be offended.

“Calm down, I’m just messing. If you’re old, then I’m really screwing myself. We can’t be that far apart in age.”

Aomine closed his eyes, his whole body relaxing as he let Kagami’s voice wash over him, “Mmm how old are you?”

“27, you?”

“Same. When’s your birthday?”

“August 2nd, yours?”

“August 31st.”

A deep hum of mischief had Aomine’s heart picking up.

“Then shouldn’t you be calling me Kagami-san or something? Respect your elders, Aomine.”

Snorting into the phone, Aomine reached over and turned his fan on low, the sticky heat of the night clinging to his skin.

“I would tell you to hold your breath for that to happen, but then you would die so….I’d forget about it if I were you. Besides, a few weeks is basically nothing. PLUS I’d consider myself more mature than you.”

A sharp laugh from Kagami had Aomine biting the tip of his tongue to keep from joining in.

“I know we haven’t known each other for long, but somehow you saying you’re more mature just sounds…” Kagami paused but dissolved into laughter again, the sound making Aomine’s gut tighten.

“Whatever.”

As soon as Kagami’s laughter died down, silence reigned over the line, Aomine grasping for something to say. The fan was hitting his bare torso just right, the sheet on the bed now crumpled around his legs. He always slept in just boxers, especially in the summer. He would normally sleep nude but sometimes Atsushi liked to crawl into bed with him. His son tended to kick in his sleep and although boxers weren’t very protective, it certainly beat being kicked with nothing on.

“What are you thinking about?”

Aomine blurted out his thoughts of sleeping nude with a toddler, the story making Kagami break out into full, uncontrolled laughter. Aomine scowled as he looked at the phone before bringing it back to his ear.

“Oi! I’m serious! It’s a hazard to my life. His little legs pack a hard kick.”

“Holy shit that was great! I’m just imagining you getting kicked in the nuts by this sleepy mop of purple hair.”

Grinning at the image, Aomine scratched his stomach absently, “Yeah well…that’s fairly accurate.”

“I can’t say I understand though. I’ve never been kicked in the nuts, by toddler or anyone,” Kagami was still chuckling as he spoke.

“Really? Never? Not even by a jilted girlfriend or something?”

The chuckling stopped at the question, the silence on the other line made Aomine frown. Maybe Kagami had a bad history with women, or…maybe Kagami didn’t like women. He slapped his palm against his forehead, irritated at himself for not thinking before speaking.

“Ah actually I have never had a girlfriend before. I’m gay so it’s not something I’ve experienced.”

Aomine took in the information, not sure what to think, but knowing he was obscenely happy. He was extremely interested in Kagami and him being completely straight would have caused a bit of a rift in his plans.

“Well, what about a jilted boyfriend?”

Another pause before Kagami answered, his voice sounding soft and almost relieved if Aomine listened just right.

“Nope, no jilted boyfriend’s either. I guess I’m just really nice.”

“Or you’re just really fucking handsome and they were all distracted by your good looks,” Aomine blurt out the sentence before thinking again, his own words making his eyes widen in surprise then close in pained resignation.

“You think I’m good looking huh?” Kagami’s voice practically purred as he spoke, Aomine able to imagine his smirk perfectly.

“Well…..fuck it, yeah. I definitely thinking you’re hot as hell. I mean, your baking is amazing, but it has nothing on that face. How do you live with yourself?”

A choke on the other line had Aomine smirking up at the ceiling, his gut clenching again as he wondered if Kagami blushed at compliments or not. He had seen his ears get a bit red at the bakery, but did he blush anywhere else?

“I could ask you the same question.”

A blue eyebrow rose sharply, Aomine’s voice dipping to a husky level as he spoke, “Oh? What question?”

Kagami’s voice was obviously irritated and embarrassed as he spoke, Aomine finding it completely adorable and entertaining, his grin hurting his cheeks at this point.

“Fuck off, you know what question I mean. I’m not gonna help you get off by telling you you’re drop dead sexy.”

Aomine chuckled into the phone, “Kagami, I think you just did.”

The pause and words that followed had Aomine biting his lower lip to keep his amusement under control. Kagami was so fun to rile up.

“Fuck you, Aomine.”

“Hey do you blush when your embarrassed, Kagami?”

This time Aomine couldn’t hold it back as he laughed loudly, his hand trying to muffle the sound so as not to wake his son, Kagami’s growl ringing in his ear.

“Fuck. You.”

* * *

 

Kagami listened to the laughter in his ear, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment and frustration. He didn’t like Aomine teasing him, although that didn’t mean much, he didn’t like being teased in general. But he really, really enjoyed listening to the other man laugh, something that was quickly becoming a favorite sound, right up there with a basketball bouncing and his oven timer going off.

Letting out a huff of breath, Kagami rolled onto his back, kicking the sheets off of his legs as he did. It was starting to get warm in his room. He had hoped summer would be gone by now, but he might actually have to turn his air back on to cool off. He couldn’t sleep when it was too warm, and he was always too warm to begin with, his body seeming to emit a ridiculous amount of heat.

“What are you doing, wrestling with your bed or something?”

A grin hit his face, his irritation vanishing in an instant, “Nah, it’s just really warm and my sheets were a pain. I was thinking about turning my air back on, but I’m really too lazy to get up.”

“Baka. Why don’t you just buy a fan or something? It’s not hot enough for air; that shits expensive.”

“Baka?!”

Kagami could hear the smirk in Aomine’s voice, “Yeah, bakagami. It fits so well.”

“Ahh that’s nice coming from someone who has a name that sounds like Ahomine.”

“Oi. It’s Aomine.”

Kagami licked his lips before whispering into the phone, “Ahomine.”

The deep growl that came over the phone had Kagami’s heart stutter, his cock unfortunately taking an interest and twitched in his sweatpants. He had been trying to keep his thoughts clean and innocent as he spoke to Aomine, but that deep sound sent all his hard work into the ground, or rather the gutter.

“Whatever, Bakagami.”

He grunted, hoping the noncommittal noise would move the conversation somewhere else. His legs were feeling too hot, his whole body now warmer than it had been a few seconds ago.

Sighing, he spoke quickly before putting the phone on the bed, “Hold on a sec.”  
Reaching down to his hips, he hooked his thumbs into his waistband and pushed them down, careful to avoid his semi-hard cock, not needing to give it any more encouragement. Kicking the pants off felt heavenly, the air hitting his bare skin, his legs cooling down immediately. Grabbing the phone, he settled back into the bed, his free arm under his head.

“Sorry, I’m back.”

A deep grunt from the other line had Kagami raising an eyebrow in surprise, “Aomine?”

“What the fuck did you just do?”

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion now, “I just took my sweatpants off. I told you I was hot.”

A muffled moan and Aomine was cursing into the phone, “Fuck, don’t tell me that.”

Kagami stared at his ceiling in confusion for another moment before his brain caught what Aomine was saying. Needless to say, he was glad Aomine couldn’t see his face at the moment, or his boxers.

Groaning, he put his hand over his face, still trying to hide his reaction, even if it was just him who could see it.

“Dammit Aomine, just stop talking.”

“You’re the one who was all “I took my pants off and shit.” How can I not imagine that?”

Kagami stumbled over his words, “Just…I don’t fucking know!”

“Wait, why are you so embarrassed?”

His jaw snapped shut hard, his teeth clacking together could be heard through the line, a pause then a sinful dark voice filled his mind.

“Kagami, what are you thinking about right now?”

Shivering and swallowing hard, Kagami closed his eyes and reached down to cup his now fully hard cock, “Fuck Aomine, this….I’m so-“

“Papa, I had a bad dream.”

The sound of the phone being dropped onto a soft surface filled Kagami’s ear, right after he heard what he assumed was Atsushi’s sleepy voice. He listened to more rustling as there was a deep muffled voice, Aomine probably, and a light, lazy voice, Atsushi’s. Another long moment and the phone was being grabbed and fumbled with, Aomine’s voice clear and lacking it’s earlier sinfulness.

“Um Kagami, you still there?”

“Yeah, everything ok?”

A sigh filled his ear, “Yeah, sorry about that. Atsushi just came in. Apparently he had a nightmare. I think…I’m gonna have to get off the phone to help him get back to sleep.”

“Ok sure. I hope he’s ok though.”

“Yeah, he’ll be ok. It happens once in a while. I’m really sorry Kagami.”

Shaking his head to himself, Kagami smiled softly, “Don’t be. Your son needs you. That’s what is important. Besides, I’ll still be here when you have some time again. Don’t worry.”

“You sure? I’m not completely sure but I think my son just cock blocked you on an extreme level. Or at least I hope that’s the case cause it definitely was with me.”

Kagami laughed lightly, “Well…I guess a little, but yeah, I’ll still be here anyways. Besides, maybe we should go a bit slower.”

Biting his lip, Kagami waited.

“Mmm yeah, I suppose your right. I probably should take you on a date or something before getting into your pants.”

Sighing with relief, Kagami grinned, “You’re assuming you actually could get into my pants huh?”

“I technically just got you out of them and we are only on the phone, Kagami.”

Pausing, Kagami mulled over the conversation and looked down at his bare legs, scowling at them as if it was their fault.

“Fuck you, Aomine.”

Laughter boiled over the phone again, Kagami closing his eyes to fully take in the sound.

“Yeah yeah, first date before that Kagami. I’ll talk to you later though, I gotta go.”

Grumbling, Kagami agreed, “Yeah whatever, Aho. Night and night to Atsushi.”

Aomine’s grin was heard loud and clear, “Thanks baka. Night.”

Kagami put the phone on this bedside table before staring down at his boxers, his cock still semi-hard, even with how the conversation ended. Rubbing his hands over his face, he let out a deep sigh before deciding to ignore it, hopefully sleeping it away. Jerking off to Aomine while the man was helping his son just seemed a bit too wrong, even for Kagami.

* * *

 

“Aomine-kun, you seem in a good mood? Or a bad mood, I can’t really tell,” Kuroko stared at his friend in confusion, his large blue eyes taking in Aomine’s face and posture.

“I can’t really decide myself, so don’t worry about it Tetsu,” Aomine yawned as he put his son down.

Kuroko of course couldn’t stop studying his friend as he handed over Atsushi’s lunchbox and signed him in at the desk. Aomine’s posture seemed tired, almost as if he had tossed and turned all night, the sight familiar as Kuroko did it most nights himself. But it was his eyes that threw off the sleepy atmosphere. They were bright, alive, and almost full of excitement, for what he wasn’t sure. Looking down at Atsushi, he noticed the toddler yawning and rubbing his eyes more than normal as well.

“Atsushi-kun, did you not sleep well?”

The little boy shook his head as he gripped his father’s fingers still, “No Kurochin. I had a bad dream and papa helped me go to sleep again. I don’t like bad dreams.”

“I understand, me neither. Did you want to try to take a bit of a nap in the morning, Atsushi-kun?”

The toddler nodded this time, his long hair falling around his face, the locks freely flowing today. Kuroko wasn’t surprised Aomine had not been able to convince his sleepy son to put his hair up this morning, something that happened fairly often.

“Papa was on the phone last night Kurochin.”

That piece of information had Kuroko’s head cocked slightly to the side, his surprise masked as usual, “He did? Was he talking to your Aunt Momoi?”

Atsushi walked over to him and hugged his leg as he mumbled, “Nahuh. It was Kagachin.”

“Kagachin? Do you mean Kagami, Atsushi-kun?”

The little boy nodded against his leg before a dark hand came down on top of the purple hair, the size of it covering Atsushi’s entire mop of hair, the hand ruffling the purple strands for good measure.

“Atsushi, what did papa say about telling secrets?”

The toddler looked up at his father with big eyes, another yawn making him seem less than impressed with Aomine’s serious face.

“Not to tell anyone, I remember. But only Kurochin knows now, papa. Kurochin won’t tell.”

Kuroko smiled at the little boy, honored that he held him in such favor, “Thank you Atsushi-kun. I promise to keep your secret.”

The boy nodded and looked up at his father with a serious face, “See papa?”

Aomine sighed, obviously too tired to battle both his son and his best friend, “Yes, I see bear cub. Just don’t tell anyone else papa’s secrets ok?”

Atsushi nodded with a small hum, his eyelids drooping as he leaned into Kuroko’s body. Kuroko looked up at his friend, making sure not to reveal anything on his face.

“Kagami huh?”

Aomine’s scowl confirmed the point Kuroko was getting at, “Shut up Tetsu.”

Letting a small smile come out, Kuroko leaned down and pulled Atsushi up into his arms, “Of course Aomine-kun.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was the flirting? Good? Sexy? Cheesy? I suck at flirting sooo.....yeah. 
> 
> Next chapter will be in a couple weeks or before that if my aokaga brain turns on. *crosses fingers* 
> 
> It will be about Kagami struggling and imploring Aomine and Atsushi's help in the kitchen. Overall, cute stuff that my brain needs to live. 
> 
> Thanks for reading as always!!


End file.
